It's Fate
by Ethereal Prey
Summary: Klaus is Earl, Caroline is his wife, as they live together with their son Henrick. Things change drastically when a very pregnant Hayley arrives and their family is torn apart. AH/AU Based on Vikings. No HEA. One shot


AN: Here's a one shot based off Vikings. Which you should totally be watching. I'm not 100% sure about viking mythology I ended up googling around for it, so don't kill me if it's not 100% correct. No beta still. Yes this gets angsty. Thank you for reading.

* * *

Caroline raised her sword, feeling the weight of it in her hands, sliced through the air, killing her attacker. The blood splattered across her face and she smiled. She was a shieldmaiden and she would not go down without a fight. They were vastly outnumbered and it seemed hopeless. But Caroline would not give up, she could not give up. She saw in the distance, his blonde hair and blue eyes. She saw him fighting his way to get to her. Blood splattered across his face and yet he fought to reach her. Her body was tired from the fight. Her sword felt heavy and then she felt it. The cold metal pierced her body. She looked down and saw the sword sticking out of her stomach. She felt it withdraw from her body and she turned around quickly. Her sword sliced her attacker's neck and he fell back. The head nearly severed off. She shoved her sword into his chest and collapsed onto the ground. She touched the wound and so how bloody it was. It was time. She looked up at the sky. She could hear them. Slowly they started to come into view.

"I am ready" Caroline said

She could see the horses in the sky flying towards her. Valkyries. They had come for her. Either Odin would take her to Valhalla or Freyja's field Fólkvangr. Either way she was leaving this world for the next.

"No! You cannot leave me! You will not leave me!" a male voice said

Caroline looked at the face blocking her view.

"Klaus, you are here, finally"

Caroline smiled, and reached up to touch his face.

"Even after all this time, you're here" Caroline said

"You know I love you, you cannot leave me, not yet"

"They are coming for me. I cannot deny them. Do not cry my love. Even after all this time, my heart has always been yours. I have always loved you"

"Don't say that"

"Take care of Henrick for me. I tried to look after him. He will be most mad at me. Tell him I love him"

"Do not go. Please"

"The great Klaus begging me not to leave again. Funny how things work out. I love you Klaus. Do not forget me"

Caroline smiled and saw the Valkyrie reach out to her. She reached out to her. And when their hands touched, Caroline drew her last breath.

The man holding her body yelled out. He held her close to him, feeling her leave this world.

"NO!"

* * *

_5 years earlier_

Caroline was at the loom when she heard that the boats were returning. She quickly put on her heavy cloak and headed out towards the docks. The boats made their way to the docks and the men were finally back from raiding.

Klaus jumped off the boat and ran towards Caroline. He had not seen her in many months. He lifted her up into his arms and swung her around. He had missed the warm embrace of his wife.

"I have missed you" Klaus said

"I can tell" Caroline said

* * *

Klaus sat around the fire eating. Caroline sat next to him. Their son, Henrick sat across. Henrick was only 13, but accompanied Klaus on his raids. Klaus was an Earl in their community. It awarded their family wealth and prestige.

"Who is Hayley?" Caroline asked

Klaus threw what he was eating into the fire.

"No one of importance" Klaus said

"Then who is she?" Caroline pressed again

"What has the boy told you?" Klaus said

"Nothing, just that you met her"

"Then she is still nothing"

"What are you hiding?"

"Nothing! Let us not air our dirty laundry in front of people"

Klaus got up and left. Caroline got up and followed him into their bedroom. She came charging in, grabbing the first thing she could find and threw it at him.

"Who is she?!" Caroline screamed

Klaus ducked as he went further into the room. Caroline grabbed the firewood and threw it at him.

"Did you have sex with her?!"

"Yes" Klaus answered

Caroline grabbed anything and everything she could and threw it at him. He ducked and tried to hide. He was was glad there were no weapons nearby. She would have skinned him alive.

"How many times?!"

"Once! It meant nothing! She means nothing!"

Caroline grabbed the chair and hit him with it. It broke into pieces and she picked up the shards to stab him. He grabbed her wrists and pushed her against the wall. She was angry and she struggled against him.

"How can I make this right?" Klaus asked

She knocked her head into his. He fell back and she broke free and kicked him hard in the stomach.

"Never see her again" Caroline said

"Done"

"I mean it"

"Done. I do not love her. I do not want her"

Klaus shook his head and walked over to Caroline. She was still mad. He leaned down and kissed her neck. He pulled her closer, kissing her neck. He pushed them both onto the bed, him falling on top of her.

"NEVER. AGAIN" Caroline said

"Done"

* * *

Klaus sat by the water when he saw boats arriving. He stood up and watched. The boat stopped at the dock and people climbed out. He watched from a distance and then he saw who it was. He ran back to his house quickly.

"I didn't ask her to come! You must believe me" Klaus said

Caroline glared at him. The doors opened and shieldmaidens walked in holding large wooden shields. They moved aside and a brunette walked towards them. Hayley walked in, her hands resting below her swollen pregnant belly. Caroline looked over at Klaus who was shocked. He placed his hand on her shoulder and Caroline had to try everything in her power not to stab him and kill him.

* * *

Caroline sat at the long table much like she always did. Klaus sat next to her, and on the other side was Hayley, placing her hands on her belly. It was awkward. Caroline decided to play the polite hostess and leaned over to Hayley.

"So they say your mother was a shieldmaiden" Caroline said

"Yes she was the legendary Brunhilda. I had recently learned of my lineage. It was hard growing up without a family and here I am starting my own" Hayley said

"And who is your father?"

"Siegfried"

"Just Siegfried? No last name?"

"The Siegfried. You know the god? And that is why I'm a princess"

Caroline leaned back into her seat. So the girl was a princess, and claimed her father was a god. Either she was delusional or just plain stupid. She wasn't sure which one it was.

"And what of your parents Caroline?" Hayley asked

"They were just farmers" Caroline answered

"Surely they weren't just farmers"

"Yes they were, some of us are happy being just farmers" Caroline said

Hayley leaned back in her seat, rubbing her belly. She looked over at Henrick who sat across from Caroline.

"Henrick do you remember me? We met when your father came to my lands? We stood in front of the tree of life?" Hayley asked

"It was just a tree" Henrick answered

"Of course, it was just a tree, but we both stood there, and now there's a bond between us"

"We have no bond, and I do not want a bond or anything with you" Henrick said

* * *

Caroline stood by her loom trying to concentrate. Rebekah walked over to her.

"What are you going to do?" Rebekah asked

"I do not know" Caroline answered

"You don't honestly believe her do you? All this talk that she's a princess? Honestly. She's just a bastard"

"Rebekah, hush. We cannot look petty"

"I can, I don't care what my idiot brother did. She has no father, she's a bastard, trying to pretend she's a princess"

"But her mother is the legendary Brunhilda"

"So? She was just a shieldmaiden, just like you are one. Do not let her manipulate her way in"

* * *

Caroline sat at the table with Klaus next to her. Henrick smiled as he sat next to Caroline. Hayley appeared again before them. Her ladies placed plates of food in front of them.

"I hope you enjoy what I have prepared" Hayley said

Everyone seemed confused but nodded in agreement.

Caroline didn't eat much. She felt Klaus's hand on her shoulder. She glanced over and saw him smiling at her.

"I did not know you could cook" Caroline said

"I don't know how to. My ladies cooked, I merely bought the ingredients" Hayley said

"I know this is hard, but I want us to be able to get along" Klaus said

Caroline couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I have heard of other earls in different areas with similar arrangements" Klaus said

"I have too" Hayley added

"What arrangement?" Caroline asked

"Where an earl has more than one wife" Klaus said

Caroline couldn't believe what Klaus was suggesting. He wanted to keep Hayley around as a second wife. He had the audacity to ask her this, to try to convince her of this. She felt a part of herself dying. She pulled her shoulder away from him and got up and left the dining hall.

* * *

Caroline felt the weight of the bed shift as Klaus laid next to her.

"I know this is hard for you. But I cannot turn her away. She is carrying my child. And I have failed in so many other areas, I cannot fail in this. This child deserves a normal life. We shouldn't punish it. I cannot abandon it. We can work this out. We can all be happy here" Klaus said

Caroline rolled onto her side. The tears flowed freely from her eyes. She cried quietly and closed her eyes. Hayley was indeed carrying Klaus's child, and there wasn't anything she could do about it.

* * *

The next morning Caroline awoke, and started packing. She packed her weapons and her clothes. She left anything that was extravagant and not practical. Everything fit into a trunk which was loaded onto a small wagon with one horse. Stefan sat in the wagon waiting for her. She walked over to the trunk knowing people were watching her.

Henrick saw her mother packing. Kol walked over to him.

"Your mother is leaving, and she has every right to do so. My brother, your father has insulted her immensely and I'm surprised she hasn't killed him yet. But the point is, you will have to choose. I'm going to say this because you need to hear it. Choose your father because you will regret it. Maybe not now, but you will regret it. Your father is Niklaus Mikaelson. He has raided lands in the west, brought back riches and wealth. He will help you become a man" Kol said

"Henrick" Caroline called out

Henrick walked over to his mother.

"It is time. You have to say it, say it out loud to make it official." Caroline said

Henrick looked up at his mother, the only woman that he had ever loved or loved him back. Protected him, cared for him, watched over him, and helped him become the person who he was now. He knew the difference between right and wrong, he learned about mercy and compassion, and yet here he was forced to choose.

"I choose my father" Henrick said

Caroline held back tears as she heard Henrick's choice. She nodded. She had to accept his choice.

"Very well" Caroline said

Caroline hugged her son and held him close.

"I love you, be good" Caroline said

"I love you mother" Henrick said

Caroline pulled away and kissed him on his forehead.

"Do not forget me" Caroline said

Caroline climbed into the wagon and Stefan snapped the reins and the horse started to pull the wagon. Caroline looked back at Henrick and waved.

"You made the right choice" Kol said

Henrick said nothing as he walked off. He tried to hold back the tears, but they began to fall. His father would tell him to stop crying if he saw him. He heard the hooves of a horse approaching him and looked up.

"What is wrong?" Klaus asked

"Mother has left" Henrick said running off

Klaus kicked his horse and charged out. Caroline had left him.

"MOVE! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Klaus yelled

Caroline sat in the wagon as it went at a slow pace. Stefan said nothing to her. He agreed to take her to her new destination, wherever that was. They heard the sound of a horse approaching. Klaus charged infront of the wagon, stopping it. Stefan pulled on the reins and Klaus jumped off his horse in a rage. Stefan jumped out of the wagon to hold the reins of his horse and make sure the horse on the wagon didn't run off.

"You were going to abandon me without saying a word?!" Klaus yelled

"You have no right to speak to me that way!" Caroline yelled back

"You were just going to leave me?"

"You have insulted and humiliated me. You have given me no choice but to leave and divorce you"

"I don't want you to go"

"You don't have a choice"

"I love you, don't go"

"It's fate"

Henrick came running towards the wagon. Huffing and puffing he looked at both his parents.

"I changed my mind. I want to go with mother" Henrick said

Klaus stood there shocked as the reality of it finally started to sink in. His family was leaving him. His wife was leaving him. His son was leaving him. She had that right to leave. His son had that right to choose. And they both choose to leave him.

Klaus hugged his son.

"Watch over your mother" Klaus said

"I will" Henrick said

Klaus lifted his son onto the wagon. He stood there and watched as Stefan climbed back in and the wagon continued on. Caroline looked back once at him and then turned around. And that would be the last time Klaus would ever see her again.

* * *

_Present day_

A boat approached the dock. A little girl giggled as she ran towards her father. The brunette girl had dark hair and dark eyes. Klaus picked up his daughter.

"What is it Siggy?" Klaus asked

"A boat!" Siggy pointed

"Go find your mother" Klaus said putting her back on the ground

Siggy ran back into the house towards Hayley. Hayley looked bored, she didn't want to weave or do any work. She was bored being forced to live in this small community where she had no title or power.

Klaus walked towards the docks and saw the boat. A young man climbed out of the boat, blonde hair and blue eyes. There was something familiar about him. The man walked over to Klaus.

"Father"

"Henrick?"

Klaus looked at the man who stood before him. He barely recognized him. He grew up and became a man without him or his guidance. He reached out to embrace him, but Henrick pulled away.

"I have returned with mother" Henrick said

Klaus looked behind him and saw a body wrapped in a white sheet.

"No…" Klaus said

"She was your queen, and you will honor and respect her as one. She deserves a queen's burial and you will not deny her that" Henrick said

"Of course not"

* * *

They placed Caroline's body in a wooden boat, surrounded by meat, cheese, fruits, flowers, and mead. Klaus looked at Caroline's face, she was still beautiful. Her face was grey but he could see that 5 years time had not changed her. He bent down and placed a kiss upon her forehead and whispered something in her ear. The boat was set ablaze. Klaus watched as it floated out and burned up.

Hayley stood in the back, holding her daughter's hand. She remained unwed. Klaus would not marry her, claiming he had a wife and he would not cheat on her again. Hayley being a princess was furious. Because she had a child with him, no man wanted her, for they would force her to leave her child behind. They were at a standstill for the past 5 years.

Klaus looked over at Henrick who was watching her mother's boat burn.

"What will you do now? You are welcome to stay" Klaus said

"No, I will return to my home"

"And where is that?"

"Mother did not want you to know for she knew you would come and find her."

"She was partly right"

"She did not remarry. I encouraged her to, but she did not. It wasn't until last year that she finally agreed to marry. He is a good man, an honest man."

"Then where is he?"

"He died in battle, as she did. They are together in Valhalla"

"Good for them"

"You know, even in death you robbed me of her. In her last moments she thought I was you"

"What did she say?"

"That is for me to know, and you to never find out"

"I know you are angry with me-"

"I am not angry at you. You destroyed our family. You destroyed mother with your actions. You destroyed us. And now you think everything is fine because I returned, but it's not. It will never be ok. You made your choice. I feel nothing for you"

"As did you, you chose to be with her"

"I did, because I loved her, loved her more than you ever did"

"Do not speak to me in that way"

"Or what? You'll behead me? Go ahead! I am not your son."

"Henrick!"

"Goodbye Klaus"

* * *

Henrick walked back to his boat. Kol stood there waiting for him.

"Henrick, you're all grown up" Kol said

"Uncle Kol. You're still the same I see"

Henrick smiled and hugged Kol.

"Leaving so soon?" Kol asked

"I have no reason to stay"

"Do you not want to meet your sister?"

"No, I do not want to punish her for the actions of my father"

"He never stopped loving her, he never married after she left. He was never the same"

"Neither was she"

"Some things never change"

"She died in battle, she said the Valkyries were coming for her. Her last moments she thought I was him. She confessed that she loved him still. Even now he robs me of her memory"

"Their love was undeniable. But fate had other ideas"

"It wasn't fate. It was my father's choice in actions"

"Will you ever come back?"

"No. I will never return here again. This place reminds me of what I could have had. Of the happiness mother felt before it was all ripped away. I hope to see you again someday uncle"

* * *

Klaus sat by the water watching Henrick's boat disappear. It was the second time he'd watch his son leave him. His daughter was giggling as she was running around chasing the chickens. Hayley was no where to be found. He looked out at the water.

"Caroline? Can you hear me love? I know you're mad at me, well were mad at me, and now you died gloriously in battle, and are in Valhalla now, drinking mead with your new husband. I can only hope one day I'll see you again, if I die in battle. And if I don't, I'll break down the door to Valhalla to see you again. You know I'll do it. I'd do anything for you. I miss you. I have missed you since the day you left. I have thought about you every day. I have thought about all the different ways I could have changed things. But in the end I knew you'd always leave me. And now Henrick has left me. And I deserve it. But I love you. I have always loved you, and I think I won't ever be able to love anyone as much as I loved you. I don't think I can love my daughter. All the love I possessed I gave you to. And now there is nothing left in me. I remember the way you you'd laugh, the way your hair would sway like wheat in the wind, and you said I'd never hold a sword with my peasant fingers. You've always had my heart Caroline. It's always been yours. And you've left me once again. Will you ever stop punishing me? No, I know I deserve it. I didn't deserve your love, and I ruined it. I ruined everything. I always ruin things. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything." Klaus said looking out at the water

"Daddy why are you crying?" Siggy asked

"Let me tell you a story about a beautiful blonde shieldmaiden"

"Was she a princess like mommy?"

"No, she wasn't a princess, she was a queen, my queen. And I loved her with everything I had. You see a long time ago…."

* * *

And there you have it. Go watch Vikings! Leave me a review. Enough angst, let's get back to something fluffy instead.


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